This, the debut 4-Skins' album, didn't hit the streets until June 1982,
some two or three years after their formation. Like their Secret Record Label mates The Business, the debut album was to feature
the band's second line-up, as all the earlier Hodges material was discarded. A start to this trend, was the second single
"Yesterday's Heroes" (this single version is in fact a different version to the track on this album) which was to chart highly
in the indie listings and it was as if the line-up had never changed.

Mini-tours were arranged to support the release of the single and the
album, which went relatively quiet compared to rumours being circulated by the scare-mongers who were predicting a sort of
Southall riot comes to your town'.

When released the album went straight to the top of the indie and Punk
charts, as well as crashing into the UK top 100, making it the sixth consecutive Secret Records album to hit the top 100 ...
not bad for an indie! Presswise, the album was to receive mixed reactions, as their past, politics and image became more relevant
to the music reviewers than the music itself. For those of you actually interested in the music, the album features some classic
tracks, none less than the Ska-ish "Plastic Gangsters" (apparently a searing attack on Punk Scribe Gary Bushell and his antics,
brought on by his overnight cooling of interest in the band after Southall) which features vocals by the bands manager Gary
Hitchcock, who like bassist Hoxton Tom, really were The 4-Skins, and it was them that had kept the whole show together through
the rough years and the damaging line-up changes. Other tracks of note on the studio side are "Jealousy", "Jack The Lad" and
"Manifesto". The second side captured an early live recording of the then new line-up, and caught the band on true form, especially
Panther who wisecracked his way through a powerful set.

Future recordings from this line-up included a cover of the old Slade
hit "Merry Christmas Everybody" which was featured on the "Bollocks To Christmas" EP which they shared with The Business,
The Gonads and Max Splodge. The single "Lowlife/Bread Or Blood" was this line-up's last recording, and was recorded some three
months before they broke up, as John Jacobs and Pete Abbott left for pastures new.

Others

Bollocks To Xmas compilation 7" with the 4-Skins, Splodge, the Business and Gonads. The 4-Skins track was 'Merry Xmas Everybody'.

Oi! the Album

1980 by EMI (ZIT 1).

Wonderful World - (Hodges/McCourt/Harmer)

Chaos - (Hodges/McCourt/Harmer)

Bootboys - Barney & The Rubbles (Rubble/McCourt)

Strength Thru Oi

1981 by Decca (SKIN1)

1984 - (Hodges/McCourt)

Sorry - (Hodges/McCourt)

Oi! the Album

Carry on Oi

1981
by Secret (SEC1)

Evil - (Hodges/McCourt)

Son Of Oi!

1983 Syndicate Records

On The Streets - (McCourt)

A FISTFUL OF 4-SKINS

After John Jacobs and Pete Abbott left, everybody said that the 4-Skins
were dead. That is except Gary Hitchcock (manager) and Hoxton Tom, who somehow restructured the band back into a strong fighting
force, adding two unlikely, but talented youngsters Paul Swain and Ian Bramson (aka Davis) to the group. But the ace card
was the recruitment of ex-Last Resort vocalist Roi Pearce.

After a few showcase rehearsals, the band secured a deal with Syndicate
Records, and recorded the band's second album, and a track "On The Streets" to the "Son Of Oi!" album.

This LP suffered from the same 'mysterious' indie chart mishaps and
the Good, the Bad and the 4Skins. The album was distributed by IDS, as was "Increase the Pressure" by Conflict and they were
both released virtually on the same day. Whilst Conflict rose to number 2 in the indie chart, the 4-Skins were lurking somewhere
outside the top30. Now, although Syndicate Records and Mortarhate Records (Conflict label) were a million miles away idealogically,
they were actually friends, and it is here that some interesting fact start to emerge. Firstly, the albums were virtually
selling the same, and in one week, the 4-Skins LP actually outsold the Conflict album, although this was not registering in
the chart. But the most important fact highlighted by the IDS computer, was that the records were all but a few, selling in
the same shops. So either the same shops were 'censoring' their returns, and/or the information wasn't getting through to
the chart compilers. Although the band, in their opinion, were convinced something more suspicious was occurring at the chart
compilers HQ, for when the compilers were informed how close Syndicate and Mortarhate were, the 4-Skins entered the chart,
albeit lower than Conflict.

Nevertheless, this is a strong, interesting album mixing the 4-Skins
raw sound with Roi's famous Last Resort growl, and makes it a unique album for that fact alone.

Produced by Ian O'Higgins. Backing vocals Keith Bollock
Brother. Recorded at Alaska Studios, London

Their best songs? In my opinion, One Law, Wonderful World, Brave New World and Evil

FROM CHAOS TO 1984

In mid 1984, the 3rd line up of the 4-Skins finally decided to call
it a day. The knockers, resenters and full time backstabbers had taken their toll and the band decided to quit on their own
terms with their pride intact. To record this moment and how they felt they amassed some close friends and played their last
gig in a studio in Waterloo. This album is the result of that recording and captures them pounding their way out of the music
business that took everything and gave them nothing but grief. It also gave Roi a chance to sing the 4-Skins classics on vinyl
and acts as a testament to this line up's live show. The only complaint about the album was that quite a few fans moaned there
were no Last Resort standards but as Roi said at the time "This is the 4-Skins not The Last Resort ... enough said."

This album, like their other Syndicate release "A Fistful of 4-Skins",
suffered from mysteriously low indie chart placings even with high sales but that's another story!

When this album was released a lot of people, or should I say critics
of the band, sighed with relief as the band they hated and were for some reason scared shitless of, were dead and gone. Well
gone maybe but never dead in spirit and never forgotten as a recent "Best of" proved with high sales. This band, whatever
line up, are no longer with us as performing artists but their spirit, guts, humour, wit and attitude will never die and the
longer the mugs moan about it the longer they live on!!!

Copyright Note: All photographs on this web-site are owned by Tom McCourt and he has given his permission for their use
on this site and that they may be freely copied to other web-sites

Copyright (c) 2004 Tommy Cassidy.Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this documentunder
the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;with
no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.A copy of the license is included in the section
entitled "GNUFree Documentation License".